Dump-car.



R. M. ZIMMERMAN. DUMP CAR. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 19, 1910.

1,021,084. I Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

kg A

COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH '10.,WA5IIINOTUN. u. C.

R. M. ZIMMERMAN.

Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0 WAIHINGTUN. D- C- R. M. ZIMMERMAN.

DUMP OAR.

APPLICATION IILBD AUG. 19, 1010.

1,021,084.. Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

COLUMBIA PLANOORAFH 60-.WASMINOTON. D; C.

UNITED STATES PA TEN T OFFICE."

ROBERT MONTAGUE ZIMMERMAN, OF MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA, ASSIGNOR TO NATIONAL DUMP CAR COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

DUMP-CAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT MONTAGUE ZIMMERMAN, of the city of Montreal, Province of Quebec, Canada, have invented cerwin new and useful Improvements in Dump-Cars; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates particularly to dump cars of the type having gravity discharge doors hinged adjacent to the opposite sides of the discharge opening of the car, and the invention may be said to consist of the construction combination and arrangement of parts hereindescribed and pointed out in the claims. For full comprehension, however of my invention reference must be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar reference characters indicate the same parts and wherein Figure 1 is a transverse vertical sectional view of a car constructed according to my invention taken on line CC Fig. 4t; Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken on line A. A. Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a detail plan view illustrating the slotted lower end of one of the inclined sides of the car and also a portion of one of the gears included in the door operating mechanism; Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of one end of the car taken on line D-D Fig. 1, parts thereof being in elevation; and Fig. 5 is a bottom plan of the middle portion of the car. Fig. 6 is a detail horizontal section taken on line 6-6 Fig. 7 and illustrating particularly the rollers holding the gears in mesh. Fig. 7 is a detail vertical section on line 7 7 Fig. 6.

In the car illustrated the body comprises a floor frame consisting of a pair of side sills I) end sills a longitudinal intermediate sills d, and auxiliary sills e and e situated transversely between the sills d and sills d and b. The superstructure carried by this floor frame comprises inclined end hopper walls f and side walls consisting of vertical and inclined portions 9 and h respectively, the longitudinal intermediate sills d and auxiliary sills 6 having the lower ends of the hopper walls fastened thereto, the lower ends of side walls h (Fig. 1) extending beyond the sills (Z to a level with the bottom edge of such sills, while the end walls f (Fig. l) are cut ofi flush with the inner sides of auxiliary sills 6, thus forming the door frame which presents the discharge opening of the car. The doors for this discharge opening are carried by self contained metal frames hinged to the door frame and em bodying a part of the door operating mechanism. In this embodiment of my invention each door carrying frame consists of a hinge eye 61 radial arm a an arm .2 extending from the arm u and a toothed rim G carried by and formed integrally with the ends of the arms, and projecting a short distance below the arm a, the arm u being of star cross-section throughout the major portion of its length the outer end thereof having its lower web S cut away to accommodate a Z-bar 6 to be presently further alluded to, and the arm 2 flat in crosssection with its greatest width extending in the plane of the gear to offer minimum obstruction to the load being dumped as will be presently shown. This gear has the middle of the Z-bar secured thereto and the ends of such Z-bar are secured to a pair of angle irons 60' having hinge eyes 62 rigidly secured to one end of each. The doors are completed by placing boards 2' and j on these carrying frames with their inner ends abutting the webs S of the arms a and their outer ends resting on the angle irons (30 which constitute hinge battens, the boards being bolted or otherwise secured to the radial arm a and the angle irons. The doors thus constructed are hinged to hinge butts 70 secured to the intermediate sills (Z. The main body of each gear is above its door and the teeth are so disposed that the gears intermesh when the doors are in horizontal alincment, thus transmitting the movement of one door to the other and causing them to operate in unison. The segmental gears work in a housing comprising vertical side plates to bent to converge toward .each other at their upper ends where they are secured together by rivets m, the housing extending transversely across the hopper at the transverse center line of the discharge opening, and serving to prevent the material in the hopper clogging the gears, the lower ends of the inclined sides It being slotted as at y Fig. 3 to accommodate the upper radial arms .2, of the segmental gears when the latter are in their uppermost position. These segmental gears are held in engagement by a pair of rollers 50 carried by bracket 51 on housing w, and these rollers prevent undue thrust on the sills (Z.

A pair of inclined rails 5, mounted upon the underside of door 2', are secured at their inner ends to the Z-bar 6 and extend from within a short distance of the hinged edge of the door to a point beyond the free edge thereof as indicated at 10, these projecting ends converging toward the rails 3 when the doors are closed distance blocks 7 being placed between the Z-bar and rails for a purpose to be pointed out later.

The door 2' is operated by a movable shaft 2 located beneath it and extending longitudinally of the car. This shaft is supported at its opposite ends by a pair of transverse supporting rails 3 inclining upwardly toward the inner edge of this door and extends sufficiently beyond the door to allow the shaft to pass to a point beneath the meeting edges of the doors. These rails are suspended by means of arms 4 from the transverse sills e and e and are thus located beyonds the ends of and out of the path of the door. As the shaft 2 is moved along the rails 3, by means to be presently described, it bears against the under faces of the rails 5. p

The ends 10 of the rails 5 act as supports for .the door j, through the medium of the Z-bar 6 on the latter and distance pieces 9 secured to the Z-bar. As shown particularly in Fig. 1 the portions 10 of the rails 5 are parallel with the doors while the inner ends 12, of the rails 3 are bent at an angle to the main length thereof thus presenting a very slight angle of convergence to the rail portions 10 when the doors are in closed position so that the shaft may be wedged between the two sets of rails to hold the doors firmly closed;

The mechanism for operating the shaft 2 comprises pitmen 13 secured thereto near its opposite ends, the distance pieces 7 and 9 preventing the pitmen from striking the Z-bars 6 during operation, such pitmen being operated by a pair of crank arms 14 rigid on an oscillatory shaft 15 which is supported in a series of bearings 16 and 161 suspended from the floor frame near the hinge side of the door 2', the shaft being oscillated by. a lever 17 loosely mounted thereon and carrying an operating pawl 18 adapted to engage a ratchet wheel 19 rigid on the shaft. The shaft is locked against reverse rotation by a detent pawl 20 pivoted on a bracket 21 secured to the bearing 16 and engaging a second ratchet wheel 22, also rigid on the shaft 15.

Operation: hen the doors are open, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. l, and it is desired to close them, the shaft 15 is rotated in the direction of arrow 25 thus, through the crank arms 14 and pitmen 13, pushing the shaft sidewise up the inclined rails 3 and raising the door 6, simultaneously the segmental-gear on this door 2' raises the other segmental gear and with it the door j. Just before the doors reach the door carrying frame the extended portions 10 of the rails 5, under the force exerted by the shaft 2, engage the Z-bar 6 on the door j and the operation is completed by the said shaft 2 wedging between the rail portions 10 and the portions 12 of the supporting rails 3. To open the doors the shaft 2 is moved in an opposite direction this freeing it from its wedged position and precipitating it down the inclined rails 3 the door following to open position.

WVhat I claim is as follows 1" 1. In a dump car, the combination with the sides of a discharge opening, of a pair of dump doors having rigid thereon intermeshing gears whereby they are caused to operate in unison, such doors being hinged at opposite edges to the sides of the discharge opening, operating mechanism applied to one door, and means whereby the other door may be held in closed position independently of the gear thereon.

2. In a dump car, the combination with the sides of a discharge opening, of a pair of dump doors having rigid thereon intermeshing gears whereby they are caused to operate in unison, such doors being hinged at opposite edges to the edges of the discharge opening, operating mechanism applied to one door, and means whereby the other door may be held in closed position independently of the gear thereon, including a member carried by the first mentioned door and projecting under the other door when the doors are in closed position.

3. In a dump car, the combination with a pair of hinged doors, of means for operating such doors, including a single pair of inter-meshing segmental gears secured one to each of the doors substantially midway between the ends thereof.

4. The combination with a dump car having a discharge opening and a pair of doors closing such opening, of a pair of intermeshing segmental gears secured to the doors between the ends of the latter, and a housing extending transversely across the discharge opening and inclosing such segmental gears. v

5. In a dump car, the combination with the hinged doors 2' and 7' and operating mechanism applied to one of the doors of the segmental gears s and s, and the rollers 50 engaging such segmental gears to hold them in operative relation with each other.

6. In a dump car, the combination with the sides of a discharge opening, of a pair of dump doors having rigid thereon intermeshing gears whereby they are caused to operate in unison, such doors being hinged at opposite edges to the sides of the discharge opening, rails carried by one of the doors and having projecting ends adapted to extend under the other door when the doors are in closed position, supporting rails fixed to the car, and a laterally movable shaft adapted to be wedged between the said door rails and fixed rails to hold 10 both doors closed.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT MONTAGUE ZIMMERMAN- Witnesses:

ALBERTIS BA'rormLoR, FRED J. SEARS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of ratents, Washington, D. G. 

